You walk on all fours most of the time, scrounging for scraps and hearing "Scram!"
You're not the alpha cat, nowhere near an acrobat, but every day you talk to a pic of your hero, The Cat in the Hat.
If you stretch every muscle, you can just see over the wall. Someday you'll be out there. Everybody will know about you.
Today you'll practice. You'll fall. You'll fail. The alley cats will jeer. Give it up, they'll snicker. Settle in. Get fat. We're cats.
But Lady Gaga's words speak to your heart. "You will never forget me." And when those words came true for her, she added, during an interview, "So, haha." You're not above gloating. When the time comes.
What really scares you is mediocrity. What pisses you off is complacency.
Take this one, for instance. Nature bestowed gorgeousness in gobs. But does he use his gifts with gratitude?
You think not. He will never amount to anything more than a decorative pet. You turn up your nose, and practice some more.
Practice makes perfect! Nice post. What a big cat!!!
ReplyDeleteAn 18-pounder, Muriel. If we could spin wool from cats I could have me a nice li'l cottage industry.
ReplyDeleteThat was such a neat piece - there were so many levels to it. And, your line about what scares you is mediocrity and what pisses you off is complacency really spoke to me. I loved the post. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteMeryl
http://departingthetext.blogspot.com
I have a big fat orange cat that looks so much like yours! How cute!
ReplyDeleteMeryl, I had someone tell me long ago that I'm an overachiever. Since we were close, I could risk telling her that she thinks so because she's an underachiever! Somehow our friendship survived my retort. Although I hope I've gotten a bit less sharp since then. Ack.
ReplyDeleteAmanda, from reading your post today and viewing your profile, I discovered that apart from our big fat orange cats, we have in common our love for Haven Kimmel and our mothering experiences! How 'bout that.
ReplyDeleteIs there really such a thing as an overachiever? One can only achieve as much as she is capable of. But an underachiever - now there's the problem. To not explore one's GIFTS to their full potential is the ultimate act of ingratitude. Might as well re-wrap them and Return to Sender.
ReplyDeleteOooh! I'm hearing Elvis: "Return to sender. Address unknown..."
ReplyDeleteAnd now I have something at the ready to say when someone asks me, "How do you produce so much?":
"Is there really such a thing as an overachiever?" hehe
and you know he will do it again and again until he climbs over the fence... then we'll see if he becomes an alpha cat or just a voyeur...
ReplyDeleteI'm rooting for alpha cathood for him! Go, little cat. Send a postcard to the big fat orange cat when you get to Oz.
ReplyDeleteA fence is a great motivation to stretch :)
ReplyDeleteAstute observation! Reminds me of Richard Lovelace's "Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage."
ReplyDeleteHello! Thanks for stopping by my blog, I'm paying you a return visit. What a beautiful cat! Decorative is good if it means you're not getting presents of dead mice and other small mammals as offerings... lol x
ReplyDelete